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Sally Morgan and Kim Stoddart show you how to be a climate change savvy gardener

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  • Soil health
  • It’s going to rain this week!
  • In search of good companions
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  • Urban creep increases the risk of flooding
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  • Saving seeds of resilience part 2

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Lots of colour in the trug last night. Plenty of 🌈 chard at the moment and peppers coming through, although some are a bit wonky. Must remember to sow some more chard to take me through autumn #allotmentgarden #organicvegetablegarden #greenthumb #chard #tomato #sunflower
You can't miss the fab yellow daisy-like flowers o You can't miss the fab yellow daisy-like flowers of Inula or Elecampane (Inula helenium). ⁠ ⁠ I love this ragged flower as it buzzes with insects all day. It appeared in the garden a few years ago and has thrived, popping up in different places as its a bit of a coloniser. Inula is a large perennial plant, up to 2 metres so great for the back of the borders. ⁠ ⁠ The deep tap root is packed with inulin, the storage carbohydrate you find in dahlia, chicory and yacon. The plant has several medicinal uses, the roots being made into a syrup or powder and used as a digestive aid and to treat lung conditions, such as bronchitis.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #perennialplant #inula #inulin #medicinalplant #elecampane #herbalmediciane #allotmentgarden #organicgarden⁠ #greenthumb
#tomatotuesday hummm... bit of greenback on these #tomatotuesday hummm... bit of greenback on these Brandy boy tomatoes.⁠ ⁠ Greenback is when you get a green shoulder to the fruit that never ripens, so has to be cut off. I suspect its a result of the spells of excessively hot weather we have had as these fruits were forming - they are in the polytunnel where temps soared to 40+C. ⁠ ⁠ The toms dont like the extremes - some of the flowers withered and I have scorch on some leaves (not to be confused with #tomatoblight) ⁠ ⁠ There's not much to be done at this stage. Sometimes greenback is a result of potassium deficiency but I did add some wood ash earlier in the year so my money is on the heat. ⁠ ⁠ Greenback tends to be seen on greenhouse / polytunnel tomatoes so you can look for more resistant varieties.
Thrilled to announce that my new book - The Health Thrilled to announce that my new book - The Healthy Vegetable Garden - will be published by @chelseagreenbooks in early September. ⁠ ⁠ I spent much of lockdown researching and writing and this is the result. It started off as book that looked at dealing with pests and diseases that we see on the veg plot but it evolved into something far more holistic.⁠ ⁠ So its not a book about how you can keep your veg plot free of pests and disease - there's no such thing - but how you can created a wonderful ecosystem with healthy soil which allows you to grow healthy nutrient dense fruits and vegetables, with a great diversity of plants which leads to more animal life, and where there will be pests but these are kept to manageable levels by the natural predators that you have attracted to your plot. ⁠ ⁠ I have visited many inspirational growers through my work on Organic Farming magazine (@soilassociation) so you will find ideas drawn from the worlds of organic, permaculture, regenerative and ecological gardening. As a result I've changed the way I grow veg, moving away from the traditional crop rotation to polyculture and continuous cropping so there's plenty on that too, along with #nodig and #composting.⁠ ⁠ There's quite a lot of botany too. I'm fascinated by the relationships between plants and fungi and plant-to-plant interactions so I tackle questions like "How do plants warn each other about pests?" "How does a plant under attack from a pest attract a predator."⁠ ⁠ I hope the book will interest the newbie gardener, but at the same time I feel there is plenty of pretty innovative stuff for the more experienced amongst you.⁠ ⁠ It available to pre-order and if you live near Sherborne in Dorset and would like to come to the book launch and talk on 2 September, get in touch. ⁠ ⁠ Sally⁠ ⁠
Something different for the salad bowl - bladder c Something different for the salad bowl - bladder campion (Silene vulgaris). You see it growing in shady corners and hedgerows but it's an edible plant. I saw them being grow for a gourmet salad mix at Trill Farm a while ago and then spotted the seed in @chilternseeds where it's called stridoli. the plant is popular in Italy where it's called carletti. It's proved to be very easy to grow and the olants are perennial too which is even better The leaves are small so bit of a fiddle to pick and have a slightly bitter flavour. The flowers are lovely with their characteristic bladder. The plants are quite small this year but hoping they will bulk up next year. . . . #saladveg #saladleaves #bladdercampion
Dipping pond aka water harvesting system waiting Dipping pond aka water harvesting system waiting for the refill tonight. I don't has any other source of water in the walled garden, so we collect water off a nearby roof and direct it into this deep pond. Its not used for any other purpose but watering. It provided enough water to see me through the drought of 2018. Also it's really quick to fill up a bucket or watering can, no standing around waiting for the container to fill. Perfect of the impatient gardener #waterharvesting #savewater #walledgarden
Plot coming on despite the months of rain and now Plot coming on despite the months of rain and now heat. Everything was late but interesting to see how plants are catching up. Beds are mulched so don't have to water that much. The tall yellow flowers are parsnips for seed saving and the alliums on the right are actually perennial leeks, now in their 4th yr. I harvest a few and leave the rest to bulk up. I like mixing things up so raised bed in the front is a polyculture of cabbage, leek, onion, beetroot, bean, and nasturtiums. All doing well. #allotmentuk #allotment
#tomatotuesday With all the talk of blight, just a #tomatotuesday With all the talk of blight, just a reminder to maintain good hygiene around your tomato plants. If you have blight on your tomatoes, disinfect your secateurs or knife between plants so not to spread fungal spores from plant to plant. If you have blight in your potatoes don't walk from the potato plot into the greenhouse or polytunnel without disinfecting shoes and gloves. These simple measures can help to slow the spread of the disease as everyday gives your plants time to ripen the fruit. #tomato #tomatoblight #tomatoes🍅
Some close ups of the hoverflies and parasitic was Some close ups of the hoverflies and parasitic wasps I mentioned in my video, all found on a flowering lovage plant. First a typical hoverfly that mimics a bee with orange and black striped abdomen, I think a marmalade hoverfly, Episyrphus. Second a larger species with distinctive comna shaped greywhite / black colours, possibly Scaeva and alongside a two spot ladybird and large bluebottle type fly Third, a parasitic wasp - look at the length of her ovipositor!!! Wicked. Lay's eggs inside her hosts body. Nice. Don't argue with her. All are beneficial insects in the garden, predatory and also useful pollinators, in fact flies are just as important as bees when it comes to the pollinator stakes. So include some flat open flowers for them, like fennel, angelica, parsnip and lovage. #hoverfly
Some more crop diversity - this time courgettes. I Some more crop diversity - this time courgettes. I am growing 3 varieties this year. Most commercial vars have a dark, thicker skin which is quite robust and doesn't damage easily. The plants are prolific. The dark courgette in the middle is a F1 hybrid, green machine, that I was given. Its living up to its name, a compact bush shape and is producing lots of fruits. Taste pretty average. Has disease resistance. The others are organic Italian varieties which win out on the taste stakes. Much thinner skins so show damage easily. The small ones are Bianca Di Trieste which are great in taste, and the plant is compact. Useful size and lots of flowers. Cocozelle v. Tripolis - the larger pale ones, again great taste. One of the plants has a more sprawling habit but others are bush. Will see how long they continue to produce and cope with summer mildews etc. #courgettes #organicseeds #grow veggies
Crop diversity - it's not just important to have a Crop diversity - it's not just important to have a mix of crops and lots of flowers on the plot, but to have a mix of varieties. Each variety has different growth characteristics and resistance to disease etc - I grow a range of varieties each year - cylindra, Boltardy, Egyptian turnip root, Cheltenham green top, Boldor sown this year. #ediblegarden #beetroot #allotmenteering #allotment #growyourownveg
Check your nettles before you cut them - spotted t Check your nettles before you cut them - spotted this cluster of caterpillars that had just hatched. Could have easily chopped them down. Several species of 🦋 lay their eggs on nettles - I've seen small tortoiseshell, red admiral and comma this week, so all candidates. Peacock use nettles too, but not seen an recently. Look out for a silken tent at the top of the shoot - you can see this in the photo. #wildlifegardening #butterflies #caterpillar #wildgarden #nettles
The distinctive comma butterfly with its ragged ed The distinctive comma butterfly with its ragged edged wings on some creeping thistle. Two photos because I couldn't decide which I preferred. The first shows its head and hairy body and the flower but the nearest wing edge is out of focus and second shows all the wings in focus but no flower detail. Which do you prefer? It's been a good 🦋 week despite the wet weather with 7 spp spotted around the house - marbled white, meadow brown, small tort, red admiral, small copper, skipper and comma #butterfly #butterfliesofinstagram #butterflygardening #gardenwildlife #commabutterfly #wildlifeinthegarden
Not a particularly exciting photo but .... a coupl Not a particularly exciting photo but .... a couple of weeks ago this broad bean was smothered in blackfly. You can see signs of damage on the shoot. So what did I do? Not much. I picked out the tip but waited for the natural predators to get control. I was lucky, the cooler weather and rain worked against the blackfly giving natural control a chance. I didn't see many ladybirds so I think most of the clearance was completed by small birds. They have pecked a few pods and a few of the weaker shoots are on the ground but there's no more blackfly. The moral of the story is not to rush in and start spraying but wait and watch. Nature knows best.
My new approach to slug control .... Hoping big b My new approach to slug control .... Hoping big brother will scare off his pesky cousins
Garden visitor! Not seen that many small tortoises Garden visitor! Not seen that many small tortoiseshell butterflies this year so delighted to spot one enjoying the nectar of a French marigold - one of the most useful plants in the kitchen garden . . . . #butterflies #butterfliesofinstagram
RHS Hampton Court Down Memory Lane. Loved this sma RHS Hampton Court Down Memory Lane. Loved this small garden for the upcycling ideas and soft planting, but there's more behind this enchanting space. ⁠ ⁠ Its designed to help people with dementia. As we have all found during the last year, our sense of well being is much improved by outdoor spaces, especially gardens and for people living with dementia they are even more important. ⁠ ⁠ Here the planting is fragrant so its relaxing and sensory. The soft muted colours don't overwhelm while the objects are chosen to bring back memories. The background trickle of water is relaxing too. ⁠ And many of these ideas are achievable in our own gardens ⁠ #rhshamptoncourt #rhshamptoncourtflowershow #dementia #garden #gardenstyle #gardentips #upcycling #watercan #recycling #showgarden
If like me you are a Tolkien and plant fan this is If like me you are a Tolkien and plant fan this is for you - a beautiful orchid that has the name Brassia Shelob Tolkien ! It's a type of spider orchid that comes from Central and South America. These orchids get their name from the way their flower is designed to attract the spider wasp, it's pollinator. This one is a hybrid created in 1998 and the unusual purple colours make it quite rare. Bit like it's namesake. #orchid #tolkien #lordoftherings #shelob #spiderorchid #orchidsofinstagram #flower #rhshamptoncourtflowershow #rhshamptoncourt
Allotment area at RHS Hampton Court - this lovely Allotment area at RHS Hampton Court - this lovely bughotel caught my eye. one of the many excellent allotment plots - so much hard work went into these stunning areas. Well done guys. This one is going to be rebuilt back to the community allotments so that all can benefit #growyourownveggies #allotmentlife #allotmentuk #bughabitat #bughotel #wildlifeinthegarden #wildlifegardening #ecologicalgardening #communitygarden #growyourown
Phlomis/ Jerusalem sage - love this flower. Masses Phlomis/ Jerusalem sage - love this flower. Masses of deep yellow flowers that bring in the bees which are then followed by seed heads that provide refuge for overwintering insects. Not only is it easy to grow and lends structure to the border, it's a resilient, drought tolerant plant, coping with hot, dry conditions while its thick leaves create a mat that smothers weeds. I get loads of seedlings too. #phlomis #phlomisrusseliana #turkishsage #prairiegardens #wildlifegardening
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Authors

  • Kim Stoddart Kim Stoddart
    • Soil health
    • In search of good companions
    • Plants to leave in the ground
    • Saving seeds of resilience part 1
    • Wellbeing through gardening
  • Sally Morgan Sally Morgan
    • It’s going to rain this week!
    • My garden’s been flooded, what can I do?
    • Urban creep increases the risk of flooding
    • Saving seeds of resilience part 2
    • Climate change gardening at RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival

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